Public 417 Hertz, sine.

[Franceline Dawer]

"Your manager made the right decision, take me to them and the crime scene."

The Inspector physically waves off the silent question posed by the tactical troop to restrain the Bith before he led the party, much to the disappointment of the paranoid squad. A few men stay behind to provide security for the landed shuttle while the rest cautiously followed and cleared corners, the Inspector following behind the factory worker.

"Of course, Sir. In a way, most of the facility was stained by their attack."

The Bith led him on, taking special care to step over puddles of mystery fluids cratering the floor, whose many cracks often went deep enough to expose the ashen sediment underneath. They would arrive in front of the gate in short notice, flanked on each side by two booths built into the wall. They were very similar in appearance to passport booths, perhaps slightly safer - but also vacant.

"This will take a moment. The gate guards withdrew inside during the skirmish, and they ended up among the dead."

He shuffled towards the right corner between the gate and the transparisteel window of the booth, pressing his wrist against a small black rectangle protruding out of the wall. BEEP. Exactly as promised, the gate began groaning mechanically as it parted down in its middle. Its locomotion was slow, and the noise of the metal alloy scraping against the floor indescribably awful, for no lining was present in that spot, only crumbling chunks of cement progressively turning into thinner and thinner particles of dust.

It gave way to a dimly lit entrance corridor, which after a few meters suddenly disappeared into darkness, going downwards. There was also an elevator on the left side of the room, between seemingly unending rows of racks for safety equipment, most of which was missing.

"If the men haven't touched anything, the bodies should still be around in various corridors. Most of them were concentrated around the control room, which is also where you'll find the manager."

"We can take the stairs or the elevator."

The air inside was growing heavier by the minute, warmth flowing upwards towards the exit mainly from the stairwell ahead. It was saturated with soft hints of molten metal, blood and processed fuel.

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

"This will take a moment. The gate guards withdrew inside during the skirmish, and they ended up among the dead."

Mansfield merely nods in polite acknowledgement of the worker's explanation, turning over to a trooper and quietly speaking while they waited for the factory to open.

"Ask on the ETA of the forensics squad."

The Inspector followed behind, taking in every detail he could and gazing at every pool of liquid he saw. He stopped and leaned over to stare at the racks of absent equipment, taking a mental note of it.

"We will take the stairs to see the manager. Fireteam 2, you're posted on the elevator."

It was tactically unsound to be in a sealed box that an enemy could wait outside of, so the Inspector was willing to take longer while his subordinates cleared every corner behind them. Mansfield was already ruminating in his mind as he descended further into the factory; a pirate raid makes enough sense, but why a rubber plant? What utility could they possibly have in synthetic elastics? If they were selling to construction and processing corporations for an undercut price, then it would be smarter to do it by way of theft or extortion rather than through open attacks. If they were here to capture and traffick slaves, there should be a lot fewer bodies. Mansfield looked up to the back of the Bith and spoke as they descended.

"These pirates, how many did you see?"

Franceline Dawer

 

[Franceline Dawer]

"It was a small team, but they were armed. I think one had a…"

The elder briefly stopped while descending the first steps, looking to the wall to his right. The whispering had ended early, and the quiet was accompanied by a wrinkled hand rubbing his head.

"A glowing sword, I think. Some of the men called a light-sabre. To me it looked like a really inconvenient welding tool – acted like it too. Cleaved through weapons and men just the same. Never seen something like that in my life, ever."

He resumed, and together they traversed about eight flights of stairs of various angles and widths, meeting on the way countless examples of frozen machinery, abandoned posts and leftover carnage purposefully left untouched. In some places they would encounter workers idling, some trying to keep themselves together while others were playing cards. And there were also the judgemental glares, some belonging to freemen, freedmen or slaves, most thrown towards Mansfield's direction.

Understandably, the workers were much less subtle and nuanced about how their expressions came off, unlike the ordinary fearful pleb. However, no matter how threatening they displayed themselves out of carelessness or worse, no one dared to step out of line or open their mouth. Obedience oozed out of every nook and cranny of the facility, permanent like the pillars upon which it stood. And obedience, did not necessarily require any pleasantries.

Reaching the 9[SUP]th[/SUP] sub-level, the Bith once again slow down to walk with care, this time trying to avoid blood spills.

"We are here"

He said in his usual docile tone, pointing to various panels of the wall that had suffered long and streaky material displacement wounds. The damages within that particular level appeared to be the worst in the entire facility, with forlorn opened boxes of cargo and molten wires littering the area abundantly.

Somewhere towards the end of a hall they had entered was the narrow entrance to the control chamber.

"She is waiting inside there. Would you like me to come with?"

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

"It was a small team, but they were armed. I think one had a…"

The elder briefly stopped while descending the first steps, looking to the wall to his right. The whispering had ended early, and the quiet was accompanied by a wrinkled hand rubbing his head.

"A glowing sword, I think. Some of the men called a light-sabre. To me it looked like a really inconvenient welding tool – acted like it too. Cleaved through weapons and men just the same. Never seen something like that in my life, ever."

Mansfield quickly glances to the tactical agent beside him, checking if he had also caught the Bith's comment. He looks back at the Bith, maintaing a stern look, but it was obvious he was affected by the Bith's answer. He walked down the stairs and hallways, digesting this information. A lightsaber. A Jedi or Sith with a pirate crew, this was concerning for Imperial space. At the very least, the person would have to be force-sensitive, which further perplexed the Inspector as to their interest in a niche and mundane location. The most plausible explanation would be that the crew captain haphazardly chose an easy spot to raid to quell mutinous attitudes in their crew, but the Inspector would have to look at the evidence before committing to a theory.

He knew this would likely kick up quite a stir once the information was said on the coms-line, let alone when he would have to submit his investigation report. Mansfield weighed the possibilities of more Imperial organisations trying to take over the case once they heard the chance to hunt down an enemy Force user.

The Inspector looks in the direction of the workers they passed by, returning a look of measured indifference to the silent contempt of those he passed. Most Imperial secret police would feel the need to repress and arrest everyone who gave them a seditious glance, but Mansfield was pragmatic enough to understand that these were just frustrated workers who had no love for the structures they worked for, which he sympathised with, ironically enough. A more gentle approach to policing would ensure cooperation and help him chase after the real issue, the marauding pirates with lightsabers.

"Round up the workers to the big rooms so it's easier to get started on preliminary questions. Emphasise social credit rewards for cooperation and /be nice/. They are key witnesses, not insurgents."

The tactical squad shrank in size the deeper they went into the facility, with fire teams splitting off to either clear unknown corners or to corral the occupants of the facility into areas that allowed the agents to watch over crowds with minimal manpower. Once they reached the control room on the ninth level, the Inspector takes note of the intensive damage before he looks to the Bith

"No, you have done enough, thank you. Go to one of the assembly areas and an investigator will ask you questions shortly."

Mansfield turns over to one of the last remaining squad members with him.

"Once the facility is cleared, flood the area with everyone. Forensics, state coroner, riot troopers, the lot. Get it reported to Central that we have a large-scale crime scene with multiple homicides and there is evidence of Jedi activity. Tell them the alarm was for a pirate attack and update the APB description accordingly."

The agent nods, being sent off by the Inspector with his colleagues. Only one tactical operator remained with the Inspector, who both approached the control room. Mansfield removes a cloth from his trenchcoat, padding his forehead that was covered in sweat. He announces his presence as he enters the room with his hankerchief in hand and a good flash of his digital badge.

"Imperial Security Bureau, Lieutenant-Inspector Mansfield. Are you the one in charge of this factory?"

 

[Franceline Dawer]

"No, you have done enough, thank you. Go to one of the assembly areas and an investigator will ask you questions shortly."

"Of course, Sir."

And so, off he went. Leaving the Agent and the Tactical Operator to face the woman in question alone.

He announces his presence as he enters the room with his hankerchief in hand and a good flash of his digital badge.

"Imperial Security Bureau, Lieutenant-Inspector Mansfield. Are you the one in charge of this factory?"

None of the upturned chairs inside the room had been returned to their position. She was there, leaning against one of the control panels with her face and body turned towards the entrance and the two operatives who found themselves entering the room. Her eyes, underlined by permanent dark circles slowly examined the badge first, before moving towards the man holding it. At the same time, her gloved hands which had thus far supported her leaning body against the console retracted towards her core to nest above her belt.

"On this shift, yes."

Human female. Calm demeanour, probably exhausted. Neutral inoffensive expression, colourless tone. Unremarkable effects, with the notable exception of the leather gloves.

Behind her head they could see that the monitors were actively displaying live security camera footage, covering every room of the facility from every possible angle, including the outside. She must've been monitoring the workers during the interim between the attack and their arrival, and maybe even the Agents after they arrived.

"They destroyed our actual communication equipment, but the camera footage survived."

She briefly moved her eyes towards the monitors, and then back at the pair. Not allowing them to reply instantly, she displaced her right hand to pull her identity card from her pocket. By Imperial standards, it was an antique; but it did its job in holding a brief summary of her life and livelihood just fine.

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

Behind her head they could see that the monitors were actively displaying live security camera footage, covering every room of the facility from every possible angle, including the outside. She must've been monitoring the workers during the interim between the attack and their arrival, and maybe even the Agents after they arrived.

"They destroyed our actual communication equipment, but the camera footage survived."

She briefly moved her eyes towards the monitors, and then back at the pair. Not allowing them to reply instantly, she displaced her right hand to pull her identity card from her pocket. By Imperial standards, it was an antique; but it did its job in holding a brief summary of her life and livelihood just fine.

Henry Mansfield

Mansfield scans the woman in front of him, absorbing details and making a general guess as to her character. She was helpful and polite compared to the usual soot-covered faces, which was already a relief to the stiff investigator. His eyes follow her movement, glancing to the camera monitors. He was grateful that appeared operational, shortcutting a great deal of legwork for his investigation. The tension in his forehead relaxes as he finally figures out the odd nature of the factory's communications to the outside world, he gives a one-word reply to the acknowledgement of the surveillance.

"Right."

The Lieutenant-Inspector reaches into his trenchcoat, focused on producing his datapad to start documenting. He notices the physical card produced in front of him, gripping it and holding it in front of his holopad.

"Thank you.... CRI exemption, don't see too many of those."

The agent murmurs the observation while he reads over the card from front to back, logging key details into his holopad notes. He stops once he has a name and date of birth written down, looking to his subordinate.

"Go on the comslink and get the specialists to come down if they're not already coming. I want them ready to extract the surveillance reels and to produce a warrant description for every suspect found in the footage."

The operator nods, walking away towards an aisle of monitors as he reaches for his armoured vest comlink. He talks into his handheld device while the investigator continues logging the forewoman's details on his holopad. He reads the card one more time before he offers it back and prepares his holopad.

"..Franceline Dawer.. Why don't you start from the beginning for you?"

 

[Franceline Dawer]

"..Franceline Dawer.. Why don't you start from the beginning for you?"

"Of course."

"It all began while I-"

"-was… praying, to the Emperor."

That statement came out misshapen from her mouth, like a badly printed piece of paper. It temporarily violated her self-imposed neutrality, making her break eye contact before continuing.

"Brought on by some sort of episode."

Her eyes returned. "My own illness aside, I was interrupted by the klaxons coming on, signalling a hostile threat. I picked up my letter opener, -which I still have on my person- and made my way here. There were several corpses along the way, and by the disruption of airflow into this sector, I can only assume that they entered through the vents."

She stood up straight, hands moving into her pockets as she continued.

"By the time I got there they appeared quite angry about realising that this was a rubber and oil concern. If you'd like to hear my opinion on the matter, I think that they were really, really, unintelligent."

"And not just because they decided to try their luck in Imperial territory."

"Alas, I convinced their leader, a horned alien, female-presenting, that there was valuable data in this very control room which we are standing in. She believed me, followed me here, and I set the meltdown program to run on a loop to lock us both together."

"This spooked her. I continued doing my duty by pressing the distress button underneath this desk, while she was busy trying to find a way out. She was using some sort of welding tool, yellow, or perhaps red. I couldn't see any fuel, it appeared handheld. At some point before reaching this room she had threatened me with it, but I felt as if she wasn't going to commit to it."

"She left the way I assumed she came, through the vents. And from what I saw on the footage, she had to make a few stops to extract her men."

"With them off the picture, I briefly considered telling some of the men to pick up guard weapons and act as deputies to control each other. The Bith you saw in the entrance offered to try to convince them to stay put, which I figured would be much better."

"At least it would give us some time, before considering the weapons."

Aside from the strained beginning, it was a very dry and steady recollection of events. The time she took for each sentence, including the pauses in-between were deliberately following the tempo of Mansfield's note taking. She didn't seem very traumatized from what had happened, and if the man didn't have her absurdly high social score already noted down, it would've felt suspiciously straight forward.

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

"Of course."

"This spooked her. I continued doing my duty by pressing the distress button underneath this desk, while she was busy trying to find a way out. She was using some sort of welding tool, yellow, or perhaps red. I couldn't see any fuel, it appeared handheld. At some point before reaching this room she had threatened me with it, but I felt as if she wasn't going to commit to it."

"She left the way I assumed she came, through the vents. And from what I saw on the footage, she had to make a few stops to extract her men."

"With them off the picture, I briefly considered telling some of the men to pick up guard weapons and act as deputies to control each other. The Bith you saw in the entrance offered to try to convince them to stay put, which I figured would be much better."

"At least it would give us some time, before considering the weapons."

Mansfield didn't show it on his face, keeping his eyes on the holopad while he wrote, yet the idea of a nervous-breakdown-induced prayer to the Emperor slightly intrigued and worried him. But he was not a doctor and thus prioritised the murder investigation on his hands. He didn't pause to interrupt or digest, writing down the forewoman's statements each bite at a time. As the story continued to unfold in front of him, the Inspector processed how it updated his current hypotheses.

Could it really be that simple? That a crew of pirates was foolish enough to not even do the most minor research on what they were going to raid, especially with the risk of conducting piracy in Imperial space? Perhaps they were foolish enough precisely because they attacked in Imperial space and didn't double-check their target beforehand. Destroying rubber and elastics could be used to handicap sealant production for starships; but the pirates seemed motivated by money rather than ideology according to current witness testimony, and the damage in the facility looked to be chaotic rather than deliberately destructive. The Inspector would have a more solid hypothesis once he observed the pirates on the cameras.

Nonetheless, the Inspector was thankful for the straightforward answer. Nodding in response at the end of it all.

"Thank you, this is very useful. Do you happen to have the blueprints for the factory vents?"

Before Franceline could answer, Mansfield turned his head towards his colleague still holding his comlink device, who was communicating and coordinating a growing tsunami of Imperial bodies slowly saturating the entire area outside the control room, each with their own roles.

"Kannor, get those stormtroopers who were on standby to do a grid search of the ventilation exit points above ground within three klicks. Update the APB that they have used ventilation shafts as a method of escape."

Mansfield looks back to the sleep-deprived woman, politely awaiting a response before opening with another question.

"This welding tool of the lead pirate, was it handheld with a protruding thin rod of what looks like glowing plasma by any chance? They stole nothing in the end?"

 

[Franceline Dawer]

"Thank you, this is very useful. Do you happen to have the blueprints for the factory vents?"

"They should be easily accessible from the console behind me. I am certain that your team has an override key."

"This welding tool of the lead pirate, was it handheld with a protruding thin rod of what looks like glowing plasma by any chance? They stole nothing in the end?"

"Yes, that was exactly how it appeared. Quite warm as well, at some point I was threatened with it but."

Another change. The corners of her mouth lowered below her lips into a wrinkly frown.

"She was not ready to kill me, like the guards. Nominally one would reason that it was because I was useful to her - but personally, I had this, premonition that I scared her, somehow."

"Well, not somehow, she loudly expressed her disbelief multiple times, unable to comprehend that I was resisting."

"It's all in the footage. I didn't see anyone pick up anything in their flight, including intel."

She looked to the floor, contemplating briefly how to continue, before adding:

"I could've attempted to go for her tool, but in the end I did not. Was it the right call? The way you described it, it felt like an important detail."

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

"I could've attempted to go for her tool, but in the end I did not. Was it the right call? The way you described it, it felt like an important detail."

Mansfield nods in reply to the answer, turning over to approach said console. Instead of ordering Kannor to do even more stuff, he decided to do it himself and make headway. He reaches behind his trench coat, producing a code cylinder from his tunic to insert into the console's input. Typing in his certification code, he unlocked the admin files and the console's operating system. He briefly looks over while he searches for the ventilation map, briefly staring at the manager until he writes her descriptions in his notepad.

"No one will fault you for not grabbing an energy sword, well, they call it a light sabre. You did well. This pirate sounds sloppy and not confident, but still dangerous."

The Inspector continues documenting her observations into his holopad. A haphazard pirate captain wielding a lightsaber that crumbles in the face of any resistance, an interesting combination, but it did explain a lot of clues and the thought process behind the marauders. Mansfield remembers a crucial point and glances up.

"You played your position well in this attack, your actions will be written favourably in the report. I will also send you a public version of the report to verify this incident, and I will attach a letter from my office that you can use to justify whatever quotas you are now missing."

 

[Franceline Dawer]

"You played your position well in this attack, your actions will be written favourably in the report. I will also send you a public version of the report to verify this incident, and I will attach a letter from my office that you can use to justify whatever quotas you are now missing."

Her shoulders descended a few inches from where they once held, sprung into a state of growing relaxation in response to his offer.

"I am very grateful, Sir. Thank you."

It was a slightly warmer tone, but not overpowering or destined to overstay its welcome. The life it gave her lingered a little longer, crossing barely over to the rest of her sentence.

"Balmorra would benefit greatly from an increased military presence. Not everyone will be as lucky OR plucky as I was."

Turning her back to the man to observe the molten remains of the ventilation grille, she concluded.

"But that's just my personal comment, part of my testimony. Of course."

"Am I needed for anything else?"

Henry Mansfield

 

[Henry Mansfield]

"Balmorra would benefit greatly from an increased military presence. Not everyone will be as lucky OR plucky as I was."

Turning her back to the man to observe the molten remains of the ventilation grille, she concluded.

"But that's just my personal comment, part of my testimony. Of course."

"Am I needed for anything else?"

Mansfield nods stoically, continuing to write in his holopad while he leaves the monitor idle for a moment.

"Of course, I will be putting the recommendation in writing. We were all quite lucky that it was only pirates too lazy to keep what they stole who exploited the security gap today."

The Inspector shakes his head, lowering his pad to look at the back of the manager before he turned to the monitor. He scanned for the tunnel blueprints, tracing the possible exit points of the fleeing pirates.

"No, that should be all for now. We have assembly areas upstairs for workers to be processed and questioned. I hope you don't mind but you may have to cancel the shift, we will be here for at least a couple of hours if not a full day while we document and collect the entire crime scene. Oh."

The Inspector turns around and reaches for something in his trenchcoat, one hand still on his holopad. He fishes around for a moment before finally producing a small datacard and offering it to her.

"My office's transmitter link if you remember anymore information, you have a lovely day madame."

The Inspector on the other hand, was left with a manhunt and a crime scene, leaving behind multiple bodies and lightsaber marks. Even if the pirates were locked down on the planet, Balmorra was a big planet with bigger tunnels. As such, he got to back to work as quickly as he could.